10
by The Strawberry Phoenix
Summary: A new journey starts. The remaining survivors discover the humans may not all be gone.
1. Seeking

Seeking

I am the voice of Dragons past

This is one of my favorite movies! Shane Acker owns it all, the lucky bastard. Enjoy!

* * *

A simple feeling. Well, not simple, confusing and intricate really. But a feeling nonetheless. It nagged at him, yet encouraged him. It seemed to push him out toward the outside world, it told him promises, hopes. He had been reduced to sitting still and staring out past the wall of the broken city. What was out there? What if there were answers? What if there were Others? Could the _entire_ world be dead?

_Awaken the rest of each Treasure-Trover_

_To find the real truth, is the Humans' reign over?_

It sounded like something an old thought-to-be-crazy friend would say. These words had haunted him in the comatose that was sleep. No dreams, if they were supposed to have any, just a voice repeating the rhyme.

_Is the humans' reign over?_

9 sat against one of the many books lying on the library floor. He sat completely still, staring at the artwork of what the city used to look like before the rise of the machines. All his thoughts were wrapped up in it. Along with those words.

_The Treasure-Trovers are us obviously. We are the scavengers of this world. So…the words are telling me to get the others…and go seeking._

A rested a mechanical hand on his head. None of them would like that idea. 7 might be open to it, but she wouldn't leave without 3 and 4, and if they were too afraid to go, then no one would go.

_ I could go. All by myself._

A crash made him jump, but it was just 3 and 4 dragging a glass bottle full of oil tainted water. They were comfortable here, and not ready to willingly leave.

_What I convinced them there was far more knowledge outside the walls?_

"Hey," he got and started over to the twins, "I was wondering. Are you willing to spend eternity here?"

Both stopped dragging the bottle and started clicking their eyes in thought.

"Why do you ask?" 7 jumped down from a higher level.

"I…I've been hearing things in my sleep."

The twins ran behind 7 in fear, while she gasped. "Outside? Another machine?"

"No, _in_ my sleep. I hear a voice talking with me."

"You're turning into 6."

"And there's nothing wrong with that."

"Well, what does it say?"

"Awaken the rest of each Treasure-Trover

To find the real truth, is the Humans' reign over?"

7 crossed her arms in thought. "It's telling you to take us and leave the city."

"That's what I speculated. We're the Treasure-Trovers. It's saying we should leave and go seeking. There…there might be survivors."

"From the machines? I don't think so."

"But-"

"9, you weren't around when the humans were still around. Those machines were ruthless in their killing. _No one_ could have escaped their wrath."

"But, could they really cover the _entire_ world? There has to be at least _one_ place they missed. In a distant land or well hidden in mountains or valleys."

"Even if someone could have survived the machines, what makes you think they'll have survived up till now?"

"Hope." 7 didn't look satisfied. "Think of all the things we could learn. There were different cultures of humans, why not go and see them?"

"Why study the _humans_? They're gone. And I don't know if we can die naturally on our own, so in about… a million or so years, we'll see life again. I hope our skeletons last that long and don't rust."

"But the voice said to find if the humans' reign was over. Maybe it's a warning. What if they're not all dead?"

"Then good luck to them," she turned and made her way to the entrance.

3 and 4 had their heads tilted in thought. They flashed their eyes questionably at him.

"I'm trusting the voice. If one day, you can't find me, well…then I'm gone."

* * *

9 adjusted his new light staff. He figured he'd need it. It had taken him forever to find another battery.

"You are slightly self-centered."

7 was leaning against the wall. "3 and 4 came crying to me yesterday. They mimicked you leaving, is it true?"

"Yes. Why would a voice speak to me in my dreams? I'm at least going to try."

The only female sighed. "3 and 4 seemed willing after you threatened to leave. We'll go seeking until you're satisfied, or get bored."

"Thanks. I wasn't too comfortable leaving the three of you behind."

"Yeah, yeah. 3 and 4 want to see the outer world too. Do we need to take anything?"

"Just weapons."

"Weapons?"

"We could find anything out there."

* * *

i luv 3 + 4!


	2. Hunted

Hunted

I am the voice of Dragons past

Wish I owned it

* * *

One last look at the city, and they were off. The walls had seemed to represent safety, sanctuary. 9 wondered if, when they were done questing, they would immediately return. There had to be other cities still standing. Would they just shelter in one of them instead? Would they spend eternity going from city to city? The Wasteland stretched out before them, but there, in the distance, another city.

"What are we doing?" said 7, sliding down the dusty bank, "We aren't even a foot tall and we're taking on the world."

"We took down the Fabrication Machine," 9 pointed out.

"9, this planet is huge. What if we never find what the voice is telling you?"

"Then we can revel in the knowledge we find."

3 and 4 both clapped their hands together. That was the key. If 9 kept them happy, then 7 would follow no problem.

The wind blew endlessly over the barren land. With no trees or vegetation of any kind, there was nothing to stop the gust. The little group followed along a hard surface of black material. A road, 9 finally placed. All the roads in the city had either been broken or covered up. This road stretched ever onward, cars littering the sides here and there. Some skeletons were poking out of the ever-changing dust that covered the broken and cracked ground.

The twins suddenly dove under a car.

"What's wrong?" 7 gripped her scalpel blade.

They gestured to them. There, in the shadow of the vehicle, was a single plant sprouting two leaves. It was a symbolic beauty.

"Life really is returning," said 9.

* * *

It had taken days of traveling in the Wasteland to reach the next city. This one seemed even more desolate and destroyed than their home. Most of the buildings had toppled and it was tiring to climb over the piles of debris. But the twins were enjoying every minute. They'd scuttle to one pile, pulling out springs and nails, then go to the next.

"I wonder if they had a library?" said 7, "It would be a good place to camp and watch over the twins without worrying if they'd wander too far."

9 surveyed the land. Everything seemed...depressing. No way something alive could survive here. That was why that single plant was better off in the Wasteland.

"I don't think _anything_ is here."

Broken buildings, not even up right anymore. Towers of debris. No life of any kind. This place was truly dead.

"Come back!" 7 launched herself up one of the piles. The twins had disappeared out of her sight.

9 chuckled while she retrieved them. But the small bit of amusement was lost. A cold breeze blew by and, even though he couldn't truly feel it, he became uneasy. The debris seemed to stretch taller. 9 cast a few looks around him. This was not a good place. He couldn't explain why, but it just wasn't. He began to walk among the piles, hoping to calm his psyche. Surprisingly, the piles of wreckage parted into a courtyard, not unlike the one in front of the Scientist's building. But the ground was uneven. Small mounds were cast here and there in the courtyard. 9 stepped lightly, curiously scraping some dirt away from one. A bone. A skeleton. These were graves. He hurriedly scraped dirt back over what he had removed. In his haste to get out of the crude cemetery, he stumbled in a deep hole.

"I'm sorry!" he whispered to the angry spirits, "I didn't mean to come here!"

But nothing set itself upon him. 9 looked back to see it wasn't a hole, it was a footprint. It wasn't human, nor was it a rag-doll like them. It had three toes and a back toe acting as a fighting spur most likely. The claws alone made their own prints. Whatever this things was, it was big, and dangerous.

_Wait_, he tried to calm himself,_ This is probably from a long time ago. This creature isn't around anymore._

But some creeping feeling told him otherwise.

"There you are!" 7 came running up to him with the twins tagging, "I came back and you were gone. What is this place?"

"It's a graveyard. 7, look at this print. Do you think...the Beast..might have been here a long time ago?"

The twins were cataloging the print. 7 looked hard. "No...the Beast had always been in our city. It had never traveled far."

"Then...do you think there...might be another?"

7 gripped her scalpel. "I'm not sure."

The twins tried to tackle her suddenly.

"What?" she asked.

They tugged at her arm and started leading her among the mounds. 9 got up and followed, equally vexed by their behavior. A single flower was perched on a grave. But it hadn't grown there, it had been picked and placed. The twins pointed down between the mounds. There were more footprints.

7 inspected them. "These are _human_ footprints! And they're recent!" She turned to 9, "There's a human here!"

A single tin can fell from the top of one of the wreckage piles. The rag-dolls all flinched. At the top of the pile, crouched a creature. Its face was and body was metallic. It teeth were snaggled and broken. Its body was supported by human bones, like the Beast's had been. But this creature was bigger and more... menacing. Both of its eyes glowed red. Its claws were sinking in and out of a metal bar, proving its mood to be rageful. It opened its mouth and barked deeply. It lowered its head and sniffed deeply. Its long tail, full of blades, swung side to side.

_It's hunting us, _9 realized.

The Hunter raised its head and roared loud enough to shake the ground. Three blades running down its back popped up and rattled loudly. It crouched even lower...and leapt.

* * *

My new beast-the Hunter, a doglike creature adapted for long range running and a flexible spine for chases.


	3. Sky

Sky

I am the voice of Dragons past

I don't own it...*sniff*

* * *

The four of them moved together. It was this movement in sync that probably saved each of them. They fled into the mountains of wreckage. The Hunter slid past where they had just been standing, its knife-like claws digging trenches in the dirt. As it spun in their direction, it uprooted an entire skeleton from its grave. It snarled deeply and barreled after its prey. The rag-dolls found reassurance in the fact that they could squeeze into somewhere the Hunter couldn't reach them. They put this good luck to use by diving into the nearest pile. But the feeling was short-lived. The knife claws dug into the pile, ripping and flinging random objects behind it.

"This thing's much more determined than the Beast was," said 7.

9 peered out to see a sudden drop not far away. "There's a ditch. Maybe we can trip it in."

The twins, desperate in their fear, leapt out of hiding and ran right to the crevice. 9 and 7 both yelled as the twins disappeared from their view immediately. They jumped out as well, only to realize the ditch was a straight drop of five feet at least. They tumbled over and landed in the same pile as 3 and 4. 9 looked around. The walls were too steep to climb. The mouth of the ditch was blocked by barrels tied in place. These had been dug to trip the two legged robots, who couldn't lift their feet up very far. 7 had told him that.

3 and 4 huddled together, their eyes trained at the mouth of the ditch. The Hunter was crouched a top the barrels. It looked down at them, then at its feet. It mouth was open in what could maybe be interpreted as a smile. It suddenly jumped back onto the bank of the ditch, slicing the ropes holding the barrels. They fell loose and started dropping off one another, rolling slowly, but picking up speed. The rag-dolls stirred to action. They raced down the trench, desperately searching for a place where the wall was sloped enough for them to crawl out. The Hunter ran alongside up on the bank, relishing in their fright. It wasn't going to bother hunting them anymore. It was going to watch them be crushed. The bottom of the ditch was slanted enough that the barrels picked up speed easily.

_I never should'vemade them leave. First city we come to, and we're getting killed._

"Look!"

While they were running, 7 had looked behind them, up at the Hunter. Another creature was fighting with it. This creature stood up on two legs and was repeatedly beating the Hunter with a blunt object. It was screaming as its chest was crushed and its limbs torn. There were small sounds of electrical currents. The creature yelped and stepped back. It saw them.

The barrels were almost upon them. 9 was frantic. He saw the wall off to his right was slanted. A way out! He began to direct them toward it, but the danger was too great. His heel clicked against the metal of the barrel.

All four were suddenly scooped up. They were pressed against something warm, something that launched itself right at the slant. They all landed upside down. 9 watched as the barrels kept going by, listening to the rattling as they continued on their path. The twins were fighting the grip held on all of them. Suddenly they were released. The rag-dolls jumped onto the ground, huddling together immediately. The twins took shelter behind 7 and 9, who both held up their weapons. The creature was crouched after rolling back onto its feet. Its face was covered by some goggles and a strip of cloth. It wore a jacket with the hood up. It stood up, looming over them. 7 stepped forward, expertly wielding the scalpel.

The creature pulled the hood down, tugged down the cloth, and removed the goggles. A human, a young human, seeing as how it didn't have the weathered look 9 had seen of the Scientist in the hologram. Its eyes were the color of the twins' skins. Whatever fabric topped its head was dusty brown.

"Well, well. My day's been eventful."

* * *

Both parties stared at each other, neither speaking nor moving.

"I ain't never seen nothin' like whatever the hell you guys are," said the human.

By the pitch of its voice, 9 guessed it was female.

"Do you speak, or just look pretty?"

"We speak," said 7.

"Cool! Intelligent life! You guys look like dolls, talking and walking dolls."

The twins peered from behind their protectors. The sheer size of this being scaring them enough to hide, but her demeanor made them extremely curious.

"Oh! Aren't you two adorable! Like twins!" The girl knelt down to not seem so big. "I ain't gonna hurt 'cha. Do I look like someone who goes around killing for fun?"

9 and 7 cast a glance back up to the ripped apart carcass of the Hunter.

"Oh, don't worry 'bout him. He had it comin'. Steal my stuff, you pay for it."

"What could it take of yours enough that you'd kill it to get it back?" 9 asked.

"You talk too? Huh. He stole my Gramp's sword. Did'ja see those blades on his back? One's _mine_. He paid for it. Now then, what's with you guys?"

7 gripped her scalpel. "What do you mean?"

"Do you have a purpose in life?"

"You're kind of our purpose in life," said 9.

"Really? That's interestin'. Nobody ever said I was their purpose in life. Makes me fell all...tingly."

3 and 4 crept out from behind the other two. Their curiosity was roused enough. They stepped slowly toward the girl. She held out her hand to them.

"You two are just adorable."

They seemed to work up the courage, then lose it. They retreated.

The human stood back up. "Nice to meet whatever you ares. I gotta go do some welding." She crossed the ditch and jumped up the other side in a few simple strides. They watched as she stepped up to the still body of the Hunter and ripped out the longest blade. She waved at them before departing.

"We can't let her go," said 7.

9 was shocked. "You didn't want to go searching in the first place!"

"But we_ found_ one. 9, you were right. Humans are still alive. It's our job to protect the future. This is a female, females are vital members of any species. We have to find a male for her before we do anything else. At least that's what the books back in the Library had said. Only they talked about animals. But I figure the same things works here."

The twins nodded in agreement.

"So...we need to find her a mate?"

"Then we'll plan our next move."

* * *

She moved fast, so they were forced to follow her footsteps. Past the graves, moving through the debris mounds, up to higher ground. They stopped. It was a clearing with an open wooden shop set up. She had made her camp inside.

"Do you think it's safe?" 9 asked in a whisper.

"She saved us, so maybe she's tame."

The four stopped right at the inside, watching her closely. She had laid the blade on a table and was now rooting through a pack, presumably hers. She pulled out a handle and whooped in delight. She lined up the blade with the handle. She held a small bottle of some kind with a spout at the end. 7and 9 gasped as a small, controlled flame spurted out. The girl began an amazing process of molding the blade back with the handle. The twins watched in silent awe.

"I was wondering if you'd come to me."

The rag-dolls entered the shelter, taking a seat where they saw fit. The human plunged the sword into a bucket of water, igniting the surface.

"Shit!" she yanked the sword back out and thrust it in the dirt, stamping out the flames. "I keep forgetting not to do that! Damn oil tainted water. Did the job though." She picked up the blade and stabbed it into a board before settling down with the rag-dolls. "So...why'd ya come get me?"

7 spoke up. "We left our original city to see if the human race was still alive. We found you."

"Right."

"Now, we're going to help you find a mate to establish a breeding pair."

The girl looked down at her, a funny look on her face. She burst out laughing. "I'm not looking for a mate!"

"What? Then what are you doing?"

"I'm heading west. I've been picking up radio signals being sent from supposed survivors. It's my last chance."

9 looked down. "Oh...so you don't know where any other humans are?"

"Nope. I can only hope. Hey, these two don't understand the 'personal space bubble', do they?"

3 and 4 were tugging at her clothing and crawling over her.

"I guess not. They're cataloging," 7 explained, "Just...hold out your hand and let them see."

She did so. The twins gripped her fingers, bending and flexing them. They traced their metal fingers along scars and tapped her nails. 9 noticed her hands didn't look the same as they had before.

"How did they go paler?" he asked.

"I took off my gloves. All this stuff I wear, it's padding and clothing." She pulled off her boots and socks, unzipped her jacket, pulled off a pair of shoulder pads underneath, and also her knees pads. The twins marveled at the pile of clothing. 9 focused more on the girl. Her pants were patched and dirty, as was the shirt she was wearing. The shirt had thin straps, revealing incredibly bony shoulders and a protruding collar bone. She was thin, dangerously thin. But this world was tough for a being who had to eat and drink.

"How do you survive?" he blurted out.

She smiled and lifted her shirt slightly, revealing the bottom part of her ribcage and flat stomach. "I manage. The bulky clothing kinda hides it."

"How did you live through the machines? Everything died."

"I'm sleepy, so maybe later."

"Wait, before you rest, what's your name?"

She tilted her head in thought. "When living on one's own, there no one around to call one by their name. But you guys...you can call me Sky."

* * *

Our human! She finally enters the story!


End file.
